A Chinese government official says China will turn down any request
for the return of ancient Japanese treasures given in tribute to past Chinese
rulers.
Beijing's Palace Museum has several hundred items dedicated by the Ryukyu
Kingdom, now Japan's prefecture of Okinawa, to ancient Chinese emperors.
He was responding to Japanese media reports that officials in Okinawa had
asked Japan's new ambassador to China, Yuji Miyamoto, to "return the Ryukyuan
treasures to their hometown".
"This is impossible if they are referring to articles given as tribute to
emperors during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties by the
Ryukyu Kingdom, a dependency of China at that time," said Zheng Xinmiao, the
Place Museum curator and Vice-Minister of Culture.
"We would like to be of assistance if the people of Okinawa wish to borrow
these treasures for exhibition," said Zheng, adding China had not received a
formal request in this regard.
The Palace Museum house hundreds of pieces of "treasure from Ryukyu", such as
fabrics, paintings, books and lacquerworks.
"We organized an exhibition of these items in Okinawa once and that is the
only time they have been abroad for show," Zheng was quoted by Monday's Beijing
News as saying.
Historical records show the Ryukyu Kingdom formally became a dependency of
China in the 1300s and the association lasted nearly five centuries before Japan
claimed it as a prefecture in 1879.